Tuesday's Afternoon Update

What you need to know about Florida today

| 8/6/2013

New job growth skews heavily to part-time work

Part-time jobs made up 65 percent of the new jobs reported in July. They account for more than 75 percent of the total jobs added this year. The number of Americans who said they were working part time but would prefer full-time work stands at 8.2 million - the highest since last fall. Read more from the Orlando Sentinel and the AP.

More than 1/4 of Floridians speak other languages

More than a quarter of Floridians speak a language other than English in their homes. New U.S. Census Bureau figures released Tuesday show that 27 percent of Floridians speak a language other than English. That's higher than the national average of 20 percent. More at the AP.

Jeff Bezos: A rocket launched from Miami’s Palmetto High

Business Profile

American Strategic Insurance

Following its own hurricane-preparation advice, St. Petersburg-based American Strategic Insurance has built a headquarters designed to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. The 110,000-sq.-ft. building is the first phase of a $42-million expansion by the company.

» Full story

When Jeffrey Preston Bezos graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High in 1982, he had big plans to change the world. Bezos certainly did change the world, founding Amazon.com, the largest retailer on the World Wide Web, and creating a model for Internet sales. More at the Miami Herald.

How an insurance company captured the snowbird market

In 2011, 25% of international real estate buyers in Phoenix and Florida came from Canada. That same year, Canadians made more than 44 million visits to the U.S.. Other data shows more than 500,000 Canadians own property in Florida. Wholesale insurance company Burns & Wilcox saw these data as an opportunity to add to their existing offerings. More at the Financial Post.

Meet Reinhold Schmieding, the Florida biotech billionaire you've never heard of

Biotech tycoon Reinhold Schmieding has been flying under the radar in Florida for years, quietly building his medical device empire in Naples. Today, his $1.1 billion (revenue) Arthrex is a leading provider of arthroscopic tools to orthopedic surgeons, and Schmieding, 58, who owns 100% of the company, is worth an estimated $2.3 billion, based on Forbes’ valuation of the firm. Read more from Forbesand see also:

» Staying Power: Arthrex Remains in Collier County
» Arthrex: Profile of a large company

Health Business
South Florida fired up by smoking research

Smokers who want to kick the habit, or at least avoid health problems, may get help through research now being conducted in South Florida. Scripps Florida is studying ways to reduce nicotine cravings, the University of Miami is working on research that could kill cancerous cells in the lungs, and Florida Atlantic University is working on ways to make vaccines safer for smokers and those impacted by secondhand smoke.